Desk assembly

ABSTRACT

A DESK ASSEMBLY OF THE KIND HAVING A TYPEWRITER SUPPORTING SHELF SLIDABLE FROM AN INNER STORAGE POSITION OUTWARDLY TO A USE POSITION AND IN WHICH THE TYPEWRITER SUPPORTING SHELF IS HINGED TO A CARRIER WHICH LATTER IS SLIDABLY ATTACHED TO THE DESK FRAME ITSELY BY TELESCOPING SLIDE OR TRACKWAY MEANS.

Jan. 26,

v. s. ELLIOT DESK ASSEMBLY F 7G. I

'; Filed Aug.' 16,'- 1968 United States Patent O 3,558,204 DESK ASSEMBLYVerna Sue Elliot, 1925 S. 40th St., Omaha, Nebr. 68105 Filed Aug. 16,1968, Ser. No. 753,092 Int. Cl. A47b 21/00 US. Cl. 312-208 9 ClaimsABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A desk assembly of the kind having atypewriter supporting shelf slidable from an inner storage positionoutwardly to a use position and in which the typewriter supporting shelfis hinged to a carrier which latter is slidably attached to the deskframe itself by telescoping slide or trackway means.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION The field of the invention is the field in whichit is desirable to support a typewriter on a support which extendshorizontally from the operators side of a desk and in which the supportcan be stored inside a cavity in the desk. Such desks are used inoffices, but are also useful in apartments or in any area in which it isdesirable to store a typewriter and its supporting shelf during periodsof non-use in order to conserve space where space is at a premium, orfor reasons of appearance. Such desks are important in apartmentsbecause they can be converted so as to adapt to a living room atmosphereat times when they are not used for typing.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART In the prior art, by far the most commontype of desk in this field has been the ofiice desk in which thetypewriter supporting shelf has been secured to the desk by means ofbrackets with the weight of the shelf and typewriter counterbalanced bysprings. Such a desk permits the storage of the typewriter in ahorizontal position without removing the typewriter from its shelf, butit has two serious disadvantages. A major disadvantage is the well-knowndanger involved when the force of the springs causes an unwary user tohave a serious accident as the shelf moves under the force of thesprings, sometimes trapping an operators hand or finger.

A second serious disadvantage of this most common type of desk is thatat times when the typewriter shelf is in use position, the variousspring and bracket supporting elements tend often to occupy a full upperone-half of the storage cavity in the desk, whereby persons at timeswishing to use this cavity are limited in their freedom to do so.

Desks of this general type have been proposed in which the typewritershelf is supported from a hinged door fixed to the desk. This type hasnever reached popularity, in my opinion, because a hinged door is lessprevented from its swinging or hinging movement than is possible withfull extension slides or trackways, such as I propose, and which lattercould not be mounted on a hinged door.

Another prior art proposal involved hinging a typewriter support shelfto the upper edge of a drawer slidably mounted on a desk. However, Icount it important that the area directly beneath the typewriter shelfbe sufliciently free of obstruction that the operators knees can extendunder the shelf for achieving a normal typing position.

An attempt in the prior art to propose a desk having a support shelf towhich a typewriter can be bolted, the shelf sliding on a trackwaymounted on the desk frame, did not reach general popularity, in myopinion, because the ice single track must be large and thick to bestrong enough, and, being thick, is, therefore, unsightly.

Trackways are undesirably visible from the end of a sliding typewritersupport shelf, and also are visible from the top thereof as is also notdesired since trackways are of shiny metal, dont match wooden or coloreddesk tops, and are often greasy. This, in my opinion, has caused suchdesks to be much less attractive when open because a thick, bulky,visible metallic track is an eyesore.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A desk assembly of the kind having a typewritersupporting shelf slidable from an inner storage position outwardly to ause position and in which the typewriter supporting shelf is hinged to acarrier which latter is slidably attached to the desk frame itself bytelescoping slide or trackway means.

It is another important feature of the invention that the carrier besupported by at least two horizontally extending widely spacedtelescoping slide or trackway means so as to give the carrier a muchmore firm anchoring to the desk itself than is possible when atypewriter shelf is attached instead to a hinged door, the carrier beingof considerable vertical length so as to bridge between the widelyspaced horizontal slide or trackway means.

Because two trackway means are used instead of one, the trackways can bethinner and less visible and still have a greater strength than thesingle trackway used to support the typewriter shelf of the prior art,thereby making a desk which is more marketable and more beautiful.

A further object is in the provision of having the slide or trackwaymeans of the full extension type, whereby substantially all of thecarrier can be pulled out of the desk cavity and yet to be supportedadequately by the slide means which do not interfere with the completereception in the desk cavity of the entire carrier and entire typewritershelf.

A further object is a construction in which a hinged door can be closedto cover the cavity when the other parts are in storage position.

A further object is to provide releasable prop means engaging thetypewriter support shelf and the carrier so as to prop up the supportshelf for use without the necessity of expensive support means fixed tothe desk frame itself.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a deskof this invention shown with the typewriter support shelf in operatingposition, a typewriter being shown thereon in full line, but with partsbroken away and the outline thereof shown in dotted lines.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line 22 of FIG. 1 and showingin dotted lines two folded positions of the shelf, at times when it isfolded outside of the desk, and also at times when it is folded insidethe desk.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the desk as seen in FIG. 1, but with a topopen to a vertical position and with the lefthand end of the top brokenaway to show a top supporting block which extends beneath the openposition of the top.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 55 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a detail showing a portion of the lower lefthand corner of thedesk of FIG. 1 with parts of the desk and of a carrier being broken awayand other parts shown in section.

The desk assembly of this invention is generally indicated at 10 in FIG.1 and comprises a frame 20 having a cavity therein opening toward theforward side 32 of the frame.

The cavity 30 is bounded by a rearward wall of the desk shown at 40, anend wall of the desk, best seen at in FIG. 2, and a knee-hole sidewallof the desk, best seen at 50 in FIG. 1. A carrier is disposed in thecavity 30 and is preferably in the form of a rectangular piece of stiffmaterial having parallel fiat sides and 72, which latter are parallel toa rectangular vertical end wall 44 of the desk.

The carrier 60 is to be distinguished from a door which is adapted tocover the forward or open side of the cavity 40. The door 80 is hingedto the end wall 44 by a vertical hinge 90, best seen in FIG. 4, for thehinging of the door about a vertical axis.

At least two trackway means or slide assemblies are generally indicatedat 100.

The slide assemblies each have a first portion 102 secured to the deskframe 20 and specifically to the end wall 44 which forms a part of thedesk frame 20, one such securing being shown in FIG. 6 as accomplishedby counter-sunk screws 130. Each carrier assembly has a second portion134 which is slidable lengthwise in the elongated first portions 102 ina telescoping manner. Suitable means is provided for connecting thesecond telescoping members 134 of the trackway assemblies to the outerside 70 of the carrier 60 and such means is generally indicated at andat best such means 140 comprises a third trackway portion 144 which istelescopically disposed within and longitudinally slidable with respectto the second trackway member 134 respectively, all members of thetrackway, 102, 134, and 144, being horizontally elongated and freelyslidable within each other.

The third trackway member 144 is secured to the outer side 70 of thecarrier 60 by screws 170, best seen in FIG. 6, and a spacer supports acentral portion of the C- shaped third member 14-4 of each slide awayfrom the carrier 160, as best seen in FIG. 6.

It will be seen that the trackway means 100 or slide assemblies 100attach the carrier 60 to the end wall 44 of the frame 20 is a mannerpermitting the carrier to slide horizontally from a storage positioninside the compartment or cavity 30, such storage position being shownin dotted lines at in FIG. 2, outwardly to a use position such as shownin full lines in FIG. 2.

The second section of each trackway member 100 is shown at 134 and isbest seen in FIGS. 2, 3, and 6 to have a longitudinal slot extendingtransversely therethrough and seen at 180. The slot 180 does not extendcompletely to the ends of the second section 134, but it does extendnearly to the ends and it is for the purpose of receiving a pair ofmotion-arresting stops 186 which extend through the slot 180, one stopextending into the end wall 44 by extending through the first slideassembly portion 100 so that it is anchored. The other stop 186 extendsthrough the third trackway section 144, the spacer 172, and into thecarrier 60 in which it is anchored, with the terminal end of the stop186 extending over to the second trackway section 134 and into the slot180 thereof.

The stops 186 prevent the second trackway section 134 from coming outfrom between the first and third trackway sections 102 and 144respectively.

As thus described, the slide assemblies or trackway assemblies 100 canbe called of the full extension type and it is to be understood that theparticular construction is not important to the breadth of thisinvention, as many other types can be used that are also of the fullextension nature.

The typewriter support shelf 300 has a normally horizontal upper surface310 and its underside is attached by an elongated hinge 320 to the side72 of the carrier 60 for hinging about a horizontal axis to permit thesupport 300 to be swung from a downwardly extending storage position inparallelism with the carrier 60 to a used position in which it extendshorizontally and upheld by a movable prop means generally indicated at330.

As best seen in FIG. 4, the typewriter support 300 has a notch 334therein at that corner thereof which is disposed farthest from thecarrier 60 and the closest to the top 340 of the desk. The notch 334 isadapted to receive the inner wall 32 of the cavity 30 so as to permitthe innermost edge 350 of the typewriter support 300 to extend beyondthe wall 32 for extra length, and is best seen in FIG. 4.

Expressed in another way, the presence of the notch 334 allows that edge354 of the typewriter support 300 which is adjacent the desk top 340 toextend in under the top 340 of the desk and into the cavity 30sufficiently to preserve a much better appearance than a gap at thisplace would cause to be if the notch 334 were not conceived.

The additional benefit of having the edge 354 extending under the top340 is that it allows further typewriter support shelf surface on whichto receive erasers, pencils, and the like, which would otherwise morereadily fall off of the edge of a shelf of less width.

The prop 330' can also be called a holder bracket 330 and has an upperend attached to the underside of the typewriter support 300 in a pivotalmanner by means of brackets 400 having pivot pin 410 extendinghorizontally therethrough, as best seen in FIG. 1.

The elongated holder bracket 330 extends downwardly and toward theadjacent side of the carrier 60 to which its lower end is attached bymeans of a bracket 430 receiving a pin 432 therethrough which extendshorizontally to form an axis of pivoting. The bracket has an uppersection 436 and a lower section 438 which are secured together by apivot pin 440 and it is to be understood that the bracket 330 is one ofa type which can fold by moving its pivot pin 440 downwardly, but thatif an operators leg should bump the bracket on its underside, it wouldnot fold by being bumped upwardly because the lower edges of theadjacent ends of sections 436 and 438 abut each other.

Referring to FIG. 1, it will be seen that the desk has its top 340disposed horizontal and above the horizontal upper surface 520 of asub-top 530 of the desk, which latter is attached to the frame and is ofthe same area as the top 340. The top 340 is attached to the sub-top 530by means of an elongated hinge 534 which extends completely from end ofthe desk to the other and is disposed along the rearward edge of the top340 and sub-top 530 so that the forward end of the top 340 can be swungupward, whereby if desired, a sewing machine, not shown, can be mountedin a manner adapted to fold upward through the sub-top 530 from astorage position therebeneath, as is a way of using and storing sewingmachines that has been in practice in the prior art.

Referring to FIG. 2, an open position of top 340 is shown in dottedlines in which the top is substantially vertical but is opened away fromthe top 530 slightly farther than an exact vertical position so that thetop 340 will be maintained by gravity from falling forward against thetop and will be maintained by a block 600 from falling against a wallwhich might be behind the desk.

The block 600 is attached to the outside of the rearward wall 40 andpreferably extends from one end of the desk to the other. The value ofthe block 600 can be best understood when it is seen that it avoids theuse of unsightly space-consuming brackets and yet prevents the top 340from damaging a wall behind the desk.

The typewriter 302 is understood to be fastened to the typewritersupport shelf 300 by suitable brackets 650, which latter are secured tothe support 300 and to the base of the typewriter. Such brackets are notshown in detail because they can be any one of many types and in theirpreferred form are the conventional brackets of a portable typewriterfastened to the bottom of its housing.

I claim:

1. A desk assembly comprising a frame having a cavity therein openingtoward the forward side of the frame, a carrier means in saidcompartment, trackway means attaching said carrier means to saidframe ina manner permitting said carrier means to slide horizontally outwardlyfrom said compartment, a typewriter support having a normally horizontalupper side, ,hinge means attaching said typewriter support to thecarrier means for the hinging of one edge of said typewritensupport onsaid carrier means for permitting said support to be swung from astorage position with its upper sidqextending downwardly from said hingemeans to a use position extending substantially horizontally, releasableineans for propping up said support into horizontal position at times,said trackway means comprising two separate substantiallyhorizontalelongated trackway slide assemblies disposed at asubstantially vertical spacing with respect to each other and eachattached to and supporting said carrier means with stability in itsouter position. j

2. The combination of claim 1 in which said carrier means is a solidpanel of such size as to extend outward from said desk when in an outerposition substantially as far as said support extends out from saiddesk.

3. The combination of claim *1 in which said prop means comprises aholder bracket, said holder bracket having one end attached to theunderside of said typewriter support and said bracket normally extendingdownwardly and toward an adjacent side of said carrier means to which itis attached, said bracket hinging between its ends in a mannerpermitting said bracket, to fold for allowing said typewriter carrier toswing downwardly for storage, said bracket being of a type which isadapted to resist forces pulling or pushing at its ends without bendingthe bracket provided such forces extend longitudinally of the elongatedbracket. :3

; 4. The combination of claim 1 in which a typewriter is mounted on theupper side of saidcarrier.

5. The combination of claim 1 in which said compartment is of a size forreceiving said typewriter support at a time when said typewriter supportis extending downwardly.

6. The combination of claim 1 further comprising a door hinged to saidframe and openably covering the forward side of said cavity when saidsupport and carrier are therein.

7. The combination of claim 1 in which said atrackway means has first,second, and third main portionsflfsaid first main portion being attachedto said frame, the third main portion being attached to said carrier,and said second main portion being telescopically secured to saidi firstand third portions for connecting them together, said first, second andthird portions forming a full extension slide assembly, allowing saidcarrier to be extended substantially completely outwardly of saidcavity.

8. The: combination of claim 1 in which said desk assembly has a tophaving normally horizontal upper and lower surfaces disposed between andconnecting? said top to said trame for the hinging of said top about anaxis disposedg' along that side of said desk which is, opposite from theuse position of said typewriter support;

9. The combination of claim 8 in further coiitbination with meanssecured to said frame and disposed in position for engaging that edge ofsaid top which is downward at times when said top is in a verticalposition so as to hold said top in an upwardly extending substantiallyvertical position'at desired times.

References Cited 7 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,133,807

